The West Between the WarsAttempts at Peace

* Following World War I, the leading democratic powers faced difficult political & economic challenges both at home & abroad.* After the horrors of World War I, nations wanted a lasting peace & made a number of attempts to avoid future conflicts: 1) League of Nations – est. in 1920; an international organization that

aimed to settle conflicts without violence 2) Locarno Treaties – signed in 1925; settled German borders with

neighboring nations & became symbol of era of peace 3) Kellogg-Briand Pact – signed in 1928; attempted to outlaw war as

signatory nations agreed to solve problems by peaceful means

The Western Democracies* WWI cost Britain its position as a leading economic power in the

world; economic problems plagued Britain throughout the interwar period.

* WWI devastated France & left the country with severe social, economic, & political problems.

* France attempted to avoid conflict at all costs, including constructing the Maginot Line during the interwar period.

* U.S. emerged from WWI in better shape than other allies; 1920s were boom years for American economy. Dawes Plan tied European economies to the U.S.* Oct. 29, 1929 “Black Tuesday” came as stock market crashed; by 1933, ¼ of America’s work force was unemployed.* 1932, FDR elected president & promised American people a “New Deal”

The Rise of Dictatorial RegimesFascism in Italy

• Economic & political problems facing Italy after WWI led Italians to turn to a fascist dictatorship; WWI aggravated Italy’s economic woes

• 1919, Benito Mussolini formed the Fascist party; Mussolini promised “a little something to everyone”

• 1921, fascism had become a major political force & the Blackshirts physically attacked political opponents

• 1924, Fascists won a majority in parliament & gave Mussolini (Il Duce) dictatorial powers

• Mussolini created a corporate state; majority of Italians supported Mussolini

New Era in the Soviet Union• 1918 to 1922, Bolsheviks transformed Russia into the USSR

which was declared to be a Socialist state

• 1922 to 1936, Joseph Stalin rose to power in the Communist party & then gained absolute power over the nation1) 1922, Stalin became Secretary General of Communist party & began vying with Leon Trotsky for control of the party2) 1924, Lenin died; Stalin gained power & exiled Trotsky3) 1928, Stalin ended NEP & announced first five-year plan4) 1934, Stalin carried out Great Purge of Communist party5) 1936, Stalin purged Old Bolsheviks to remove any threat to his power

Hitler & Nazi Germany• Economic & political problems facing Germany during the

interwar period led Germans to turn to Nazism in the early 1930s1) 1919, Weimar Republic est.; political instability & violence threatened to destroy the new republic; National Socialist German Workers’ (Nazi) party created; Adolf Hitler joined Nazi party in Munich & formed the Brownshirts2) Economic problems also threatened the republic due to reparations & soaring inflation in the early 1920s3) 1923, Beer Hall Putsch failed; Hitler was arrested & wrote

Mein Kampf while in jail4) 1929, Great Depression brought Nazi party back to forefront

5) 1932, Nazis became largest party in the Reichstag6) 1933, Hitler became chancellor & the Reichstag passed the Enabling

Act (allowed Hitler’s govt to ignore the constitution for 4 years);

Hitler took title of Der Fuhrer, & proclaimed his govt to be the

Third Reich• Under Hitler, the Nazi government used terror, repression, and

one-party rule to establish a totalitarian state1) 1935, Hitler & the Nazis passed the Nuremberg Laws2) 1938, Kristallnacht occurred & concentration camps came into use

Cultural & Intellectual Trends

Mass Culture• The development of the radio & movies, as well as an increase in leisure time, radically changed culture in the 1920s.

The Arts• In the artistic movement of Dada, artists were obsessed with the idea that life has no purpose.• Surrealist Salvador Dali painted everyday objects separated from their normal contexts.

• James Joyce introduced the literary technique known as “stream of consciousness”.• Hermann Hesse, author of Siddhartha & Steppenwolf, used Buddhist ideas to show the psychological confusion of modern existence.

Science• 1927, Werner Heisenberg introduced the uncertainty principle after observing the apparent randomness of subatomic particles.